1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an animal bedding fiber product that includes at least one short fiber having one or more inorganic fillers including kaolin clay and a first desiccant agent including ash. Further the invention relates to methods and processes for making an animal bedding fiber product, providing fiber from paper sludge and formulating the fiber in a mixture comprising ash as a first desiccant agent, so as to form a friable aggregate.
2. Discussion of Background Information
A significant problem associated with known animal bedding products has been to find materials that provide absorbency characteristics without resulting in adverse health effects for the animals. Additionally, certain conventional animal bedding materials have been identified as labor intensive and/or expensive. Furthermore, removal and disposal of used animal bedding products poses a concern.
Some of the most common problems associated with absorbency material used in animal bedding is the ammonia smell produced when the animal's urine contacts the animal's solid waste in the presence of oxygen. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,936. The effect of ammonia smell on the animals using the bedding can be linked to the animals' non-productivity, such as dairy cows producing less milk. For example, a common bedding material used for large animals (such as dairy cows) is straw, which is primarily used to separate the animal from its waste so the waste passes through the straw. Furthermore, when the straw bedding is exposed to the animal urine, it can result in odor problems, as mentioned earlier.
In addition, similar odor problems can be associated with other animal bedding materials such as wood chips, wood shavings, sawdust and wood pellets. These materials provide limited absorbency characteristics; while their use can emit odors, it may cause potential health issues to the animal, or result in substantial removal and disposal problems.
What is needed therefore is an absorbency material that can be used with the animal bedding without experiencing the disadvantages associated with known animal bedding products.
Paper mill sludge, generated from a virgin fiber source and/or a secondary fiber source, is a known absorbency material that has been used with animal bedding in the past. The terms “virgin fiber source” and “secondary fiber source” are discussed further below. Generally, paper mill sludge is a solid residue recovered from waste water during the pulping process; it is a clay-like material that consists of clays and short fibers. The paper mill sludge or residue generated from the pulping process are un-useable materials and are disposed of in landfills. Although the virgin papermaking process produces some paper mill sludge, the deinking (recycling) process produces far more paper mill sludge. For example, secondary fibers or recycled paper, such as newspapers, magazines and office paper waste can be used in the papermaking process (i.e., a deinking process). The recycled paper includes a significant amount of coated paper (i.e., laser print, photocopier print and ink), which results in primarily generating paper sludge. In particular, the paper sludge removed from coated papers during the above-noted pulping process is considered to be un-useable material and it is usually disposed of in landfills. Unlike secondary fibers, virgin fiber has never been used in the manufacture of paper or other products before and it does not include fillers from previously produced paper, such as recycled paper.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,936 discloses the use of paper mill sludge generated from a virgin fiber source that is used as an element to formulate animal bedding products. See Col. 1, lines 38-52 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,936. The sludge is treated with pellets formed from hard wood from the Poplar family, such as Aspen, which consists substantially of bark. The bark content of the pellets is between 5% and 40% by volume, with the balance being a combination of sawdust, ground wood chips, and ground lumber. However, as discussed earlier, known animal bedding materials such as wood chips, wood shavings, sawdust and wood pellets can result in odor problems associated with animal bedding. Also, as mentioned above, these materials provide limited absorbency capabilities, and their use can result in substantial removal or disposal problems. See Col. 1, lines 6-32 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,936. In addition, using paper mill sludge from a virgin fiber source and/or a secondary fiber source involves an expensive drying process. These can include belt dryers, vacuum dryers, fluid bed dryer, cylinder dyer or some other energy dependent mechanical drying device, such as waste heat or recovered heat from an existing process. These processes lower the moisture content suitable for making the animal bedding product. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,936.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,214,465 and 5,807,465 explain the use of paper mill sludge generated from a secondary fiber source, which is used as an element to formulate a granular floor absorbent product. The sludge used in both of these patents is processed similarly by utilizing waste paper that brakes up the pulp stock in a hydropulper and it is then screened. The paper fibers from the pulp stock are retained and sent for use in the paper making process. The solid material in the reject stream such as kaolin clay and inorganic materials pass through a flotation clarifier to separate the solids. The moisture in the slurry is then removed by means of a belt press to form a filter cake. The filter cake then enters a pin mixer where it is broken up into individual granules, and the granular floor absorbent product is formed. See Abstract of U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,465 and Col. 2, line 59 to Col. 4, line 67 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,214,465. However, the above-mentioned granular floor absorbent products are intended to be used as oil and water absorbents, such as pet litter or carriers for agricultural chemicals; they are not meant to be used for animal bedding. See Col. 2, lines 51-52 and Col. 6, lines 30-50 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,465 and Col. 2, lines 11-24 and Col. 5, lines 1-34 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,214,465. Furthermore, both of the above-mentioned processes require an expensive drying process, in order to kill bacteria and lower the moisture content to make the sludge suitable for making the granular floor absorbent product. See Col. 5, lines 12-67 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,465 and Col. 4, lines 28-50 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,214,465.
The prior art further explains the use of paper mill sludge generated from both a virgin fiber source and a secondary fiber source that is mixed with Cement Kiln Dust (CKD) and wood chips to formulate an animal bedding product. See Syracuse Fiber Recycling, LLC DEC permit No. 7-3115-00043/02001, issued by the New York State Dpartment of Environment Conservation, Division of Envioronment al Permits, Region 7, Syracuse N.Y. CKD is defined as a fine, raw material carried by hot gasses in a cement kiln and collected by a filter system during the production of cement. The CKD differs from cement in that the raw material hasn't been fully burnt. In particular, CKD is created during the third stage of cement manufacturing. Electrostatic and bag filters capture the dust for recycling. The industry recycles more than 75 percent of the cement kiln dust directly back into the cement kiln as raw material. Recycling this byproduct also reduces the need for limestone and other raw materials and helps conserve energy. Other uses for CKD include agricultural soil benefaction and soil stabilization. Generally, CKD can be used as an alternative to lime, e.g., a lime agent and/or as a material having similar pH properties.
However, with increasing costs and decreasing availability of landfill space, it has become beneficial to find alternative uses for the paper mill sludge. In addition, the use of paper mill sludge from a virgin fiber source and/or a secondary fiber source requires an expensive drying process. These can include belt dryers, vacuum dryers, fluid bed dryer, cylinder dyer or some other energy dependent mechanical drying device, such as waste heat or recovered heat from an existing process in order to lower the moisture content suitable for making the animal bedding product. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,788,936 and 6,214,465.
Thus, what is needed is an absorbent material that does not require an expensive formulation process to make an animal-bedding product. Furthermore, a process that can use paper mill sludge for an animal-bedding product is needed to reduce the amount of paper mill sludge disposed in landfills.